Fresno State and its community partners will host the third annual Celebration of Ethical Leadership event to highlight good work done in the region and to encourage ethical behavior on campus and in the community at large.
The event will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9, at Fresno State’s North Gym (Room 118). University President Joseph I. Castro will provide opening remarks.
It is made possible by a new partnership between the Better Business Bureau Serving Central California and Inland Empire Counties, the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and The Ethics Center. The combined effort stems from the Better Business Bureau’s annual “Excellence in Ethics” and Fresno State’s “Ethical Leadership.”
For the past two years, the Ethics Center and the Lyles Center have worked to support reflection on ethics, and to encourage ethical behavior in students.
“Last year, we created the “Ethical Leadership” award as part of this effort,” said Dr. Andrew Fiala, director of The Ethics Center. “This year, we are connecting the Ethical Leadership award with the Better Business Bureau business ethics awards as part of our effort to inspire students and the community about the importance of ethical leadership and ethical business practices.”
The Better Business Bureau’s mission is to maintain an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers trust each other, and for years it has promoted ethics by awarding businesses that demonstrate integrity.
Last year’s Celebration of Ethics honored Richard Johanson, chairman emeritus of the Fresno Business Council and founder of Johanson Transportation Services, LLC.
The May 9 celebration will honor Jim Boren, retired executive editor of The Fresno Bee, as its second annual ethical leadership award winner.
“Jim has devoted his career to the Central Valley,” Fiala said. “He has encouraged political leaders to show integrity and ethics. He has been outspoken in defense of journalistic ethics and the importance of media literacy in the fake news era.”
Boren is now teaching reporting to Fresno State students in the Media, Communications and Journalism Department.
Since this year’s event is a collaboration with the Better Business Bureau, ethical businesses will be recognized in three categories — small-, medium- and large-sized businesses.
Better Business Bureau president and CEO Blair Looney said he couldn’t be more pleased with this partnership.
“This partnership is a great opportunity to highlight those who are ethical and do the right thing, but it’s also a way to remind the students at Fresno State and in the community that ethics matter and we all succeed when we are committed to doing the right thing.”
The event will feature keynote speaker Michael Clayton, co-author of “Counter-Attack: Business Strategies for Explosive Growth in the New Economy,” from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Alice Peters Auditorium of the University Business Center. Jenny Toste, social media specialist at Fresno State, will serve as emcee.
“The event is a catalyst for further conversations and an occasion to reflect on the importance of ethics for good business, for a thriving community and for a good life,” Fiala said. “We are calling a Celebration of Ethics as a way of reminding people that, however trite it may sound, it is good to be good.”
